Sunburning the City
The intertwined figures continued to clash violently, like two indiscernible shadows. The sounds of metal clashing filled the air where they fought, with sparks flying and qi forming sharp blades that continually sliced through the air, leaving the arena pockmarked and in ruins. The Nalan family's guards, originally hidden in the shadows, now appeared in the square, necessitated by the force of the combatants' exchanges. The energy leaking beyond the arena, if left unchecked, could turn into a slaughter should it reach the crowd.
"Boom—" Another explosion echoed as dual-colored qi and purple qi collided fiercely, forcing both combatants to retreat several steps. As they stepped back, bursts of qi exploded in the air, adding to the tumult of the scene. However, this retreat seemed to signal a pause in their entanglement; both combatants lightly tapped the ground with their toes and retreated to the edge of the arena. Though they faced each other from a distance, neither made the first move again.
This standstill left the onlookers momentarily perplexed. At this point, Li Yi's qi robe was crisscrossed with sword marks, leaking blood in places—a clear sign that the battle had not favored him. Nalan He's qi robe, in contrast, was pocked with small pits surrounded by web-like cracks, indicating Li Yi's preference for direct confrontation.
Moreover, Nalan He's originally pristine white clothes now bore scorch marks, with some areas turned to powder—evidently, the additional effect of lightning attribute qi. Observing the two, seemingly at a stalemate, the crowd fell into a hushed silence, making it difficult to declare a clear victor.
The atmosphere between the two on the arena remained frosty. Only after the settling dust did Li Yi crack a slight smile, "Master Nalan... impressive skills indeed."
Nalan He gazed at Li Yi with a complex expression, sighing softly after a moment, "I never thought I'd need to use that move in my lifetime... Li Yi, remember this! If you know you're no match, just concede. I... don't want to kill you!"
Li Yi smirked, returning the sentiment, "The last part, I'll send right back at you!"
"Is that so!" Nalan He shook his head slightly, "Then, it's truly a pity! Watch closely... my next move, called..." Before he could finish, Nalan He's crystal-clear longsword was slowly raised, its tip trembling slightly towards Li Yi. As Nalan He moved, the small bells attached to the sword's hilt began to float, his long hair moved without wind, and his wide robe fluttered loudly. The broken stones around him also began to levitate...
"Nalan He finally seems to be using his trump card..." Nalan Ba sighed softly, "Even I must admit the terror of this move. I wonder if that Li kid can withstand it."
Nalan Qing smiled lightly, "Even if he can't, it's fine. After using this move, my dear brother will take a long time to recover his peak strength... I just hope the kid doesn't get scared off. Of course, if he can withstand it, that would be best!"
"Is it that easy?" Nalan Ba frowned, "This move could even make me step back!"
Nalan He seemed to exhale softly, his eyes closing momentarily then snapping open. In an instant, a tiny flame seemed to blaze furiously within his eyes—unnaturally blue on the left and red on the right. At that moment, the elemental qi around him condensed sharply, turning into a red and blue vortex that soared into the sky, lifting his figure into the air.
"Tss—" The longsword's blade trembled, emitting a dragon's roar, then the fierce tornado vanished as if it never existed. Yet, Nalan He remained floating, with ripples of qi continuously emanating from him and expanding outward. The levitating stones, upon contact with these qi ripples, disintegrated into dust.
The longsword, now difficult to raise, aligned its tip towards the sky. Suddenly, everything changed. "Hum—" As if lightning was tearing through the atmosphere, the elemental qi and qi breaths around suddenly converged above Nalan He's head. In the blink of an eye, a fiercely spinning fireball appeared, composed of fire elemental qi and qi, devouring and tearing the surrounding space. In moments, it grew into a vast sun, hanging above Nalan He's head.
Above this sun, tangible flames leaped, consuming the surrounding elemental qi. At this moment, the elemental qi around seemed to be completely devoured by Nalan He, making everyone else, including Li Yi and the onlookers, seem as insignificant as ants under this sun-like fireball.
And the one controlling this fireball, at this moment, appeared as a deity passing judgment on all beings.
"Zhuque High Order! Sunburning the City!" Someone suddenly roared hoarsely, "Mad! Mad! Mad! Nalan He has gone mad! To actually use this move! Bastard! Bastard!" As the roar ended, the onlookers, as if reminded of something, suddenly scattered in all directions like mad! Although they were not strong, not one of them was foolish. They clearly knew that if this move landed, not to mention the arena, the entire square would likely turn into ruins! By then, with the city gate catching fire, they might end up dying without knowing why!
On the high platform, those who were originally calm also showed slight changes in their expressions. They were people of status and naturally could not flee in a disheveled manner like ordinary people. However, they each took a deep breath, preparing to deal with any sudden changes! At this moment, the two white-robed priests from the Martial Deity Hall stood up at the same time, their figures slowly drifting out, landing in two different directions. Even Nalan Ba's expression turned solemn as he flashed in front of the high platform! As strong individuals, they understood more than ordinary people that if they did not block this move, those affected would not survive unscathed. Dead without a complete corpse!
"Li Yi, if you want to escape now... there's still time!" Nalan He's face carried an indescribable solemnity, whispering so softly. The next moment, the faint smile on Li Yi's face already gave him his answer... "If so! Then let us decide the winner!" The long sword trembled again, and the huge fireball that had already stopped in mid-air started rotating slowly again! Looking up at the dazzling light in the sky and feeling the increasingly scorching heat, Li Yi could clearly feel the crazy power condensing inside! This is the Zhuque High Order martial skill! If it weren't for the fact that it couldn't affect the whole world, then, with the power displayed by this move, it could definitely be said to be of the Baihu class!
"Kid, this move, Sunburning the City, is not simple... Although it's not enough to cause changes in the heavens and earth, its power is such that even Kings and even Emperors would have to retreat three feet away from it! You, might not be able to withstand this move!" The Serpent Venerable's voice faintly sounded. "Old Coot! Although he can use the Zhuque High Order martial skill, that Baihu Low Order martial skill was taught to me by you! If I lose, I'll be the first to settle the account with you! Hmph!" Li Yi mentally responded, his hands quickly forming a seal. With a gentle clap of his hands, it seemed as though the elemental energy of the world gently swayed under this clap, the elemental energy previously absorbed by Nalan He seemed to undergo a change. The originally boiling sun in the sky suddenly dimmed a bit! Clouds that floated from nowhere blocked the scorching sun, and within the thick clouds, blood-red light was boiling continuously, causing the surrounding light to also take on a hint of blood-red. Faintly, several streaks of blood-red lightning were constantly flashing, as if ready to strike down from the sky at any moment.
"This is..." When the blood-red lightning appeared, ordinary people didn't feel much, but those real powerhouses trembled in their hearts at that moment. With their sensitivity, they could naturally feel that this abnormal change in the heavens and earth was absolutely unusual. Could it be... that kid named Li Yi actually... Hidden within the black robe, Gong Wushuang's mouth twitched again. Originally, she had suffered a big loss under this move, leading to her current plight. Now seeing Li Yi use this move again, she instinctively stepped back a few steps, yet her eyes remained locked on Li Yi... She wanted to see clearly what effect this move would have when Li Yi, with the strength of a Warrior, used it! Almost at the same time, Li Yi's figure also bizarrely floated up, but unlike Nalan He, his body occasionally emitted streaks of electric light, as if forming some kind of resonance with the blood-red lightning in the sky! "Boom——" A streak of blood-red lightning finally fell from the sky, landing fiercely in front of Li Yi in the surprised gaze of countless people! "Hiss——" Li Yi's body's purple lightning attribute Dou Qi slightly contracted, then surged violently, turning into blood-red color! And that Dou Qi garment also turned into a blood-red color! His right hand gently stroked out, as if without any strength, but precisely this action, caught the wildly violent blood-red lightning in his hand! The "squeaking" blood-red lightning, constantly jumping and flashing, but under Li Yi's control, this originally should have been wildly violent lightning, slowly contracted, and finally, like an obedient child, shrunk into Li Yi's palm, forming a half-moon-shaped blood-red glow! However, this cluster of blood-red light, although small, seemed... to contain more energy than the scorching sun above Nalan He's head in mid-air! The square above, seemed to be divided into absolutely two worlds at this moment! The world of fire and the world of blood! The edges of the two worlds were constantly rubbing against each other, unknown when the most violent collision would erupt! "Heaven and Earth Abnormality! Baihu Martial Skill!" Staring dead at Li Yi, standing on the referee's seat, Miao Ke already gritted his teeth and spat out these words! The feeling of Li Yi's move was all too familiar to him, just like the day in the Li family's backyard when he felt that aura! Slowly turning his head, Miao Ke's gaze fell on Ye Qingwu on the high platform, he clearly saw that the proud young lady's face was already as cold as ice! Not only that! Nalan Ba, the two white-robed priests of the Martial Deity Hall, Hong Yu, Ye Qingwu, Nalan Qing, Nalan Tianzhe, Nalan Lin... almost everyone present was dumbfounded, simply because this scene was incredibly astonishing!